Full Sail Partners Blog

Deltek Kona, Deltek Vision, Win Projects In today’s day and age of fast changing technology, firms must stay abreast of all available solutions to better compete with competition, and win work. Since the ‘great recession’ of 2009, competition on winning work has increased exponentially. Successful firms have combated this increased competition by staying current with technology, and using well thought out techniques to win projects. Included below are five tips that will help your firm better impress clients, and ultimately win more work.

Collaboratively share information with your project team. When responding to a client request / RFP, sharing data can become a cumbersome task in itself when working with remote teaming partners or staff. Often, the ability to seamlessly coordinate tasks/assignments, or share large files amongst your team can be the difference in winning or losing the work. To avoid these types of hiccups, leverage collaborative sharing tools such as Deltek Kona to keep your project team on the same page. Deltek Kona allows users to share files, and schedule important dates, seamlessly as though the users were all working in the same centralized office. You will be amazed at how Kona will empower your project team!
Hasten your proposals process through the use of templates. Unfortunately, many times firms will find out a about a project that they are a perfect fit for days before the due date. These time restrictions can ensnare the proposal process and make it difficult to respond sufficiently. Empower your marketing/business development department by creating templates that will allow you to export your information from Deltek Vision CRM to Microsoft Word or InDesign. This will allow you to streamline the proposal process, and concentrate on the areas of the proposal that require custom attention.
Avoid boring old PowerPoint presentation. Many firms make it to the short-list process only to utterly disappoint the client through the use of a boring, stale PowerPoint presentation. If you are unable to separate yourself from your competition, you are not doing your best to win projects. PowerPoint has been around since the late 1990’s, and sadly a large majority of presentations look like they came out of that same era. By using presentation software such as Prezi or PreZentit, your firm can immediately stand apart from your competition. With that said, don’t forget the importance of impressing the client by being personable and demonstrating your understanding the project. Overly relying on the use of presentation software is one of the quickest ways to lose a client’s attention.
Use a CRM solution to track relationships. We have all heard the saying, “It’s not what you know, but who you know!” This begs the question; does your firm know who it knows? If you are not tracking your relationships through CRM software such as Deltek Vision, then you are simply throwing darts at a board, blindfolded. A CRM solution will allow you to track who you know, recent conversations, and other important relationship data such as birthdays or anniversaries. This type of knowledge insight is important for creating meaningful relationships between your company, and your clients.
Optimize information for smart devices. If you own a smart device, and you have not optimized your marketing contact the device, you are not working smart! You never know when, or where, you might bump in to a perspective client. If you are unable to demonstrate your firms expertise at the drop of a hat, expect to lose out on a lot of potential work. Your firms website should be optimized for smart devices (iPhones, Androids, Tablets, Everything!) allowing you to be ready to show off how great your firm is, at a moment’s notice! In addition to optimizing your website for these smart devices, take the initiative to pre-load content on to your smart phone, in case you are unable to get internet service! By doing this, you will not only impress the client with all of your great works, but you will also demonstrate your ability to think ahead and be ready for the unexpected.

If your firm is utilizing Deltek Vision CRM, make sure to check out Vision Unleashed. Vision Unleashed will allow you to access your full Vision system on teh go, from a mobile device. It also allows MAC users to access Vision without the need for running parallels or bootcamp. This allows MAC users to utilize their workstation to it maximum potential without dedicating resources to addition process just to access Vision!

I hope you learned something from this blog. Some of these technologies or techniques might seem obvious, but unfortunately many times it’s the obvious omissions that cause us to lose out on winning new work. If you use any of the concepts highlighted in this blog, make sure to comment below and let us know. We love to hear success stories!

Once you win your next project, make sure to review these project management concepts.

So, you’ve heard about the new Vision Unleashed, Deltek Touch Time and CRM mobile applications and want your smartphone users to be able to utilize these applications to access Vision offsite. Perhaps you like the idea of your Vision users having the ability to work from home or abroad or maybe you think the new Navigator interface would be really helpful for project managers out in the field. However, you feel opening up Vision access from the web sounds kind of scary and you have questions. Is it safe? Is it expensive to set up? Is it hard to configure?

Well, let’s take a look!

Is it safe?

Yes it is! When properly deployed using Secure HTTP and a strong password policy, accessing your Vision data from anywhere is as safe as accessing your banking information.

Is it expensive?

Only in the time to set up (generally an hour or two) and the purchase of a security certificate. The certificate is good for several years and costs only a few hundred dollars.

Is it hard to configure?

For a single server install the process is simple and can be completed with very little downtime or afterhours with proper planning. Multi-tier installs offer a bit more complexity and should be discussed to ensure all the nuances are covered before beginning. Full Sail Partners has assisted many firms with the transition. Feel free to reach out to us for support.

Here are the steps to open Deltek Vision to the internet to allow your firm access to new features like Deltek Touch.

Configure a Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) that you will use to reach Vision from offsite. ‘Vision.yourcompanyname.com’ is a common format.
Purchase and install a SSL security certificate for your new FQDN on your Vision server.
Modify your firewall rules to allow port 443 (secure http) traffic to be forwarded to your Vision server. Note: This is a good time to try visiting your Vision login page to see if everything is on the right track, in Internet Explorer. Visit HTTPS://Vision.yourcompanyname.com and make sure it loads.
Verify the FQDN is also reachable internally, DNS may need tweaking.
In Reporting Services Configuration Manager, under the Web Service URL tab, add the SSL identities now available since applying the new security certificate.
In the Vision Weblink, on the reporting tab, change the Server URL to your new FQDN/reportserver. For example: https://vision.yourcompanyname.com/reportserver. Note: Be sure to click the Test button to verify you have it right!
Voila! You should now be able to log in from both onsite and offsite and successfully run reports. Once verified, you can notify all of your users to use the new link for their Vision needs.

iAccess, Deltek Touch, and Vision Unleashed can now be deployed. Enjoy safely and securely accessing Vision, anywhere, anytime! Let us know your experience.

Okay, here goes…I actually love doing my timesheet on a daily basis. There, I said it and I feel so much better. But hold on, let me back up a little. Maybe “love” is too strong. Let’s go with “like”. I actually like doing my timesheet on a daily basis.

However this was not always the case. Like most of you, the idea of filling out a timesheet was akin to having a root canal, but only worse. In our firm, timesheets are due on a semi-monthly basis, but we have a policy that timesheets must to be completed daily. I know, right?

This policy was easy to ignore until one day, much to my surprise, I received an e-mail alert that my timesheet had not been completed the day before. AN ALERT! It turns out that not only did I receive an alert, but a notation was made in my Employee Info Center record of my violation. The powers that be had sunk to a new low and now I’m faced with two options; continue ignoring the policy and get an annoying alert on a daily basis, or start doing my timesheet every day.

Being the flexible guy that I am (this is sarcasm for those of you who don’t know me), I started doing my timesheet after each completed task. And much to my chagrin (read surprise), it wasn’t that bad! First of all my utilization went up. Some of those short, billable items that fell through the cracks when I was doing my timesheet at the last minute were now being captured.

Another plus to filling out my timesheet daily is that my comments are more descriptive. No longer am I putting “call with so-and-so” in the comments field. I am actually able to put what was discussed in the comment. This has made reviewing my draft invoices so much easier because I am no longer second guessing the hours I billed to my projects or having to go back to e-mails hoping I find some clue about what was discussed.

Also, my projects are easier to manage. I know at any given time how many hours have been charged to my projects so there are no surprises when it comes time to review my draft invoices.

I am also amazed at how little time it takes. What seemed like hours before, my timesheet now just takes a few minutes each day to complete.

And as if it couldn’t get any better, there is now a timesheet app for iPhone, iPad, Android and other smart devices. Now I can do my timesheet on the go. This has come in handy on many occasions when I’m out of the office but still conducting business.

I think the key here is that my timesheet is always up on my desktop. Even if I open it up in another window, I always have access to it so that I can record my time as soon as I complete a task.

I challenge anyone to give this a shot! You’ll save time and alerts popping up on your dashboard or in your e-mail box will become a thing of the past.

Interested in learning more about how firms are getting their employees to submit timesheets daily? Click here.

Are you a Deltek Vision user? Check out the newest custom solution from Full Sail Partners and start getting your staff to complete timesheets daily:

Full Sail Partners, offering business consulting, technology solutions, and application hosting for Deltek Vision, is proud to unveil Vision Unleashed™, a multi-platform solution for Deltek Vision. Vision Unleashed will allow users to access Deltek Vision from most mobile device or non-windows platform.

This multi-platform solution is perfect for firms with business developers, executives, or project managers needing convenient access to Deltek Vision on the road. With the ability to access Deltek Vision data anywhere, anytime, Vision Unleashed allows project staff to work on the fly, independently of their standard windows-based office computer.

“For many years our clients have been asking us if they can access Deltek Vision from non-windows devices. Full Sail Partners is extremely honored and proud to be able to provide any Deltek user with a multi-platform solution for Deltek Vision that is both easy to obtain and use,” said Scott A. Seal, Director of Service Development at Full Sail Partners. “We believe that the ability to use Vision Unleashed to access Deltek Vision anywhere, on any mobile device, will allow Vision users to work more conveniently and effectively.”

Currently, Vision Unleashed is approved for compatibility with the following devices:

Smartphone (iPhone, Android, etc.)
Tablets (iPad, Kindle, Galaxy, etc.)
Non-Windows Platform (Mac or Linux)
Many more

For more information about Vision Unleashed™, and to learn how your firm can start accessing Deltek's Vision try it for FREE.

About Full Sail Partners

Full Sail Partners specializes in client-focused technology solutions for architects and engineers, energy and environmental consultants, and professional service firms across the country. Full Sail Partners offers business consulting, technology solutions, and application hosting for Deltek Vision. Partnering with more than 1000 clients nationwide, Full Sail Partners builds long-term relationships and seeks to identify the critical resources to create a faster, more efficient, and cohesive business infrastructure.

Full Sail Partners – Keep Your Business on Course. | For more on Full Sail Partners profile and background on the Full Sail Partners crew, visit us at http://www.fullsailpartners.com.

Deltek Vision Mobile Timesheet Did you know you can enter your time into Deltek Vision from your iPhone or iPad? I don’t know anyone that gets excited about filling in their timesheet, but the Deltek Vision Timesheet app allows me the ability to access my timesheet no matter where I am. For users that travel or are away from the office, it allows a convenient method to update your time on the fly. Sorry, no more excuses for those on the road.

To set up the app, I searched “Deltek” from my iPhone app. I clicked install and obtained my server name from my IT person to sync to my Deltek Vision database. The installation was simple. The added security of a 4-digit pin also provides secure access to the app. There is no syncing between my desktop and my phone. The information is automatically updated in real-time.

It’s easy to add a project to my timesheet and the favorite feature allows me to keep my frequently used projects. The project did, of course, have to be active and approved for use in processing. With the iPhone 4s, I’m able to use the voice-to-text feature to speak my timesheet comments. A very helpful feature when your drinking your morning coffee.

Kudos to Deltek for this free, user-friendly app. Now I can access my timesheet anywhere, anytime.

To check out more features and compatibility requirements, visit iTunes: http://bit.ly/Ki93E6.

Deltek Vision iPhone Timesheet App Deltek Vision Mobile iPhone Timesheet App